How To Build The Perfect Charcuterie Board

Building the perfect charcuterie board is a mixture of great rules-of-thumb and balancing the board. Texture, acidity, fat and heat all factor into the ultimate experience. Here are some tried-and-true tips from the gang here at OP. We won't call ourselves experts, but... we've got over a decade of refining our charcuterie game and think it's pretty near perfect. If you're not sure where to begin, take a look at our kits. We provide you everything you need to begin your charcuterie board and more if you're looking to take it to the next level. 

2 oz of charcuterie per person as an appetizer; 5oz per person as a meal. 

A hard salami, a soft and decadent paté, a tangy sour sausage (our summer sausage is the perfect addition in this category), and something warm. 

Try something acidic like olives, mustard or pickled vegetables to break up the rich and robust flavors. 

Stick with one region and select cheeses with different textures. Try a semi-soft, a hard style and a triple cream. 

A good rule for salami: slice it cold and serve it at room temperature. Slice salami the thickness of a quarter on the bias for an impressive presentation. For ham, slice it as thin as possible for the perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture. 

Try using a baguette or simple crackers. You don't need anything fancy or overly-seasoned. Pro tip: if you have stale bread, toast it up by tossing in olive oil and serve it alongside the patés. 

Try lambrusco or your favorite Champagne. Bubbles mixed with a high acidity make it the perfect pairing with charcuterie. A Cab Franc, Gamay or dry Reisling are all perfect for wine pairings.

Drizzle olive oil over the patés and sprinkle with a coarse sea salt like Jacobsen's. That bit of added texture makes it that much better.